Various sports or athletic activities cause participants to perspire in different ways. The participant's ability to more effectively manage this perspiration can often provide a competitive advantage during participation.
Athletes have, for decades, used varying fabrics to optimize performance. By way of specific example, a quarterback that uses a terrycloth towel hanging from his uniform waistband to keep his hands dry during play is generally provided greater accuracy when throwing the football. Tennis players wear headbands while playing to keep perspiration from getting on their face and into their eyes. Similarly, many basketball players wear wristbands to prevent moisture from reaching their hands and affecting ball control. These are examples of independent use of hydrophilic fabrics to absorb moisture from selected parts of the participant's body.
More recently, hydrophobic or moisture wicking fabrics have become somewhat commonplace in athletic activewear. These fabrics are typically defined as nonabsorbent materials that pull moisture away from the participant's skin, distributing the moisture evenly throughout the fabric and allowing the fabric to dry quickly. By wicking away the moisture, less moisture is absorbed by the fabric, generally keeping the garment lighter and in many cases, more comfortable for the participant.